If you think mint is just a summer herb great for garnishing picnics and barbeques, you’re missing the entire “mint experience.” It pairs well with everything from salads to cocktails and even has health benefits that will cool your body temperature and regulate your bowels.
The best thing about mint is that it is easy to grow in your backyard, condo patio, or even in pots, and unlike most plants, it does best in full sun.
How to grow mint
If you’re looking for an herb that can take full sun, mint is a great option. Not only will it give off an amazing aroma, but it will freshen your breath.
A grouping of fresh mint
Where to plant
To add mint to your garden, first, you will need a moist area that drains well and has full to partial sun. If you live in a hot climate, you may want to find an area where there is some afternoon shade, so your leaves don’t fry. Like spinach, mint does well with soil that is rich in organic matter, such as manure compost which you can add to existing soil, or simply add some Miracle Grow, and it should grow just fine. While it’s great to have the perfect conditions when growing any plant, mint can grow almost anywhere, in many different types of soil, and can take cold temperatures to -20°.
Once you’ve found an area for your mint, like with any new bedding or plants, you want to make sure the area is completely weed-free to give it the best chance. If you plant with weeds nearby, not only will you make it more difficult for the plant to establish itself, but it will affect the flavor.
Two ways to plant mint
seed
cuttings
Seed
When planting seeds directly into the ground, you want to wait until there is no longer a threat of frost. If you wish to start them early, you can use an inside starter kit or use peat pots to establish your plant inside before planting them in the ground.
To plant your seed, dig a trench 1/4 inch deep, cover it with soil, water, and place it in an area with sunlight. Make sure to keep the soil moist, and it should germinate within a week or two weeks. Once your mint has taken hold, you can easily thin them out to give them room to grow – around 18 inches apart.
Cuttings
Cuttings are another great way to bring mint into your yard. At the top of a mint plant, cut an 8 cm stem. Then remove the bottom leaves and place them in a glass of water, making sure you don’t cover any existing leaves. Place the mint on a window seal or where it can enjoy full sun. It should only take a few weeks for your plant to grow roots, and you can either plant it in a pot, leave it to enjoy in the water, or plant your mint in the ground.
Plant mint in a pot
If you have a large area, you can certainly plant your mint directly in the ground. In choosing this, know it multiplies and fast. Before you know it, mint can take over your entire garden, making our preferred method of planting – a pot.
Start with a pot 12 to 16 inches in width. If you’re looking to add dimension to your garden, you can place the pot on the ground, or if you want a more permanent space, you can dig a hole and place the pot in the hole leaving the rim at the surface. This will contain the mint’s ability to multiply and allow it to be part of the garden.
Benefits of mint
Not only will mint smell heavenly on a summer day, but it can do so much more. For many insects, it’s a natural repellent. Insects such as aphids, mosquitoes, roaches, fleas, beetles, and ants. They all hate the smell of mint – especially peppermint!
On the other hand, if you’re looking to attract super pollinators like bees into your yard, they love mint. Mint also attracts butterflies. Wow! What an herb!
Harvest time
Once your plant is established, you can pretty much break off what you need when you want it. If you need a little to go along with your strawberries and cucumbers or just add flavor to your water, you can break off a few top sprigs, and the plant will still be full and fragrant.
Fresh mint on a table
Since mint grows so quickly, your mint might need a little more than a few leaves plucked a day. The hot summer months, when it’s reached around four inches tall and right before it flowers, is the best time to prune it back. It’s at this time when the plant starts to look haggard and loses flavor. Once you cut it back to the ground, you’ll have fresh, fragrant, minty leaves before you know it.
Varieties
There are many varieties of mint. To name a few – peppermint, lemon mint, apple mint, mountain mint, Korean licorice, and spearmint. All with their own flavor and can be placed in the garden to complement each other.
Health Benefits
Most know of mints’ ability to freshen our breath – there is a reason most gums are flavored with mint, spearmint, or peppermint. And it does work when we want to get close to others. But it does much more than oral health.
A glass of iced water with lime and mint
Mint is said to ease and possibly improve IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which affects between 25 – 45 million people in the US each year.
It regulates body temperature. If you don’t believe that mint can cool you down, try this as an experiment – eat a mint leave and drink a cold glass of water. The menthol contained in mint triggers the cold receptors in the skin, making you feel cooler.
Brain function is something almost everyone strives to encourage more of, and mint increases focus. The benefits keep coming and include antioxidants that battle those awful free radicals like smoking, alcohol, and smog. It’s not only a great destresser but will give us energy!
Conclusion
If you’re looking for an herb that grows fast and can take full sun, mint might be a perfect addition to your garden. Not only are the leaves lush and green, but the smell is so aromatic it will attract butterflies and super pollinators like bees. Adding mint to your garden will also benefit your health – it does everything from refreshing your breath to stabilizing body temperature.
